Pipe closure



June 4, 1929 v R w so v 1.716.334

PIPE CLOSURE Filed Feb. 27, 1928 "2 Sheets-Sheat 1 WITNESSES 1 /L INVENTOR [R M 1 Ronald MJVilaon,

ATfORNEY June 4, 1-929. R. M. WYILSON 1- 1 PIPE CLOSURE Filed Feb. 2'7, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I9 I /6 r, v 12' WITNESSES:

v I INVEN4TOR Q i M 2 6 BonaZdM.WiZson,

ATI'TORNEIY Patented dune 4 1828.

UNETED STATES S reraar ,GFFHCE.

RONALD M. WILSON, F WAYNE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORIO WILLIAM 1VL "WIL- SONS SONS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

PIPE oLosURE; I

Application filed February 27, 1928. Serial No. 257,214.

My invention relates to pipe closures and has special reference to a device adapted to close the ends of pipes through which tanks are filled with liquids. 7

While my invention may be applied to a number or situations, it will be described as a closure for the filler pipes of tanks in which gasoline is stored at filling stations. Gasoline served to the customers from these tanks by means of pumps usually furnished by some large distributing company and bearing its name; it being understood that all gasoline vended from the pumps is to be-purchased from this company. In order to make larger profits, however, some filling station proprietors will buy inferior gasoline and mix it with that already in the tank so that the customers receive an inferior product.

The principal object of this invention is to 1 provide a pipe closure which maybe quickly and easily sealed in position so that theclosing element cannot be removed and inferior gasoline poured into the tank without destroying the seal.

It is customary to gauge the amount ofgasoline remaining in the tanks at stated periods and the gauging is almost invariably done by inserting a rod through the filler pipe, thus necessitating the removal of the element which closes the opening to the pipe or providing an aperture therethrough which would permit of gasoline being poured into the tank without the removal of the closing element.

Another object of my invention is to provide a pipe closure of this character which will permit of the gasoline in the tank being gauged but will make it impossible to pour additional gasoline into the tank without removing the closing element.

These and other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is top plan view of a pipe closure embodying my invention, and

Figure 2 a central vertical sectional view, taken on line 2--2 on Figure 1, showing the pipe closure attached to a fragment of a filler pipe.

Figure 8 is a central vertical sectional view taken at right angles to Figure 2, as indicated by line on Figure 1, but showing the measuring rod in raised position and the cap omitted,

Figure l is a sectional plan view, as'indicated by line J -4 on Figure 3, and

Figure 5 a perspective view of theclosing element forming a part of my invention.

: Referring now more in detail to the drawings, the filler pipe 6 is connected toa tank (-not'sh'own) and has its upper end threaded. A housing 7 has a central bore 8 whose lower portion is threaded for engagement with the upper end of pipe 6 and its upper portion threaded to receive a cap 9 which is adapted to be screwed down tightly upon agasket 10 so as to seal the filler pipe against the ingress of water; cap 9 being screwed into and out of housing 7 by means of a special wrench fitting into a recess 11 which has three arcuate. sides struck from centers located at the intersection of the other two sides so that thecap cannotbe removedby the use, of a flat or rectangular tool.

.An annular groove 12 is formed in housing 7 just above the end of filler pipe 6. V A disk 14, slightly smaller than bore 8, is disposed therein and provided'with an extension 15, adapted to enter groove 12, and with a lug 16 which is pivoted diametrically opposite extension 15 by means of a rivet 17 so that a portion 18 of the lug may extend beyond the edge of the disk and into groove 12 for looking disk 15 against removal from housing'7.

A flange 19 is formed on the inner end oflug 16 and provided with an aperture 20 adapted to align with an aperture 21 formed in an angular lug 22 fixed on disk 15 in such position that, when apertures 20 and 21 are in alignment with one another, portion 18 of lug 16 will extend into groove 12. The wire 23 of a seal 24 may be passed through aper tures 20 and 21 for sealing lug 16 in looking position or apertures 20 and21 may be of sufiicient size to accommodate the hasp of a padlock. When locked in housing 7 by lug 16 and lug 16 sealed to lug 22, it is evident that disk 14 cannot be removed from housing 7 without destroying seal 24:-

In order that the contents of the tank may be gauged while disk 14 is locked in position in bore 8, an aperture 25 is formed in disk 14 to accommodate a measuring rod 26 which is preferably provided with a ring 27 on its upper end by means of which the rod may be raised and lowered. If rod 26 could be entirely removed, gasoline could be poured through aperture 25 into the tank. In order to prevent this, a projection 28 is formed on the bottom of rod 26 and extends beyond the edges of aperture 25. It may be of any desired form and secured to the rod in any suitable manner; in the present instance, it consists of a cotter pin extending through the extreme bottom end of the rod.

In order to facilitate the removal of disk 14 from housing 7, I preferably form a flange 29 along one or more sides of. aperture 25 by bending the metal up or down When aperture 25 is'formed. After lug 16 has been disengaged from lug 22 andswung to" unlocked,

i1 filler pipe cap or closure disposed flush with or just above a floor or sidewalk, usually of concrete, in Which case, housing 7 is embedded in the concrete and cannot be removed from filler pipe6. When the closure is disposed '1 in an accessible place, housing 7 might be unscrewed from filler pipe 6 and gasoline poured into the tank. This may be pevented by securing housing? in place by means of a rivet 30 or by a short screw threaded into housing 7 with its head disposed inside filler pipe 6.

A closure made as above described is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and may be quickly removed from or placed in housing 7.

If the closure is provided With a measuring rod, as shown, the gasol ne remammg n the tank may be gauged at any time but no additional gasoline may be poured through the filler pipe without destroying seal 24; the disk and rod being almost as easily removed as is the disk itself.

While I have shown a specific embodiment of my invention and illustrated same as applied to a particular use, it Will be apparent that modifications may be made and the device applied to other situations Without departing from the spirit of the invention and, hence, I do not Wish to limit myself to the precise construction set forth but consider that I am at libertyto make such changes and applications as fairly come Within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim v 1. A pipe closure including a housing having an annular groove, a disk in the housing, an extension on the disk entering the groove, a lug pivoted on the disk and entering the groove for locking the disk in the housing, and means for securing the lug in looking position. V

2. A pipe closure including a housing having an annular groove, a disk in the-housing, an extension on the disk entering the groove, a lug pivoted on the'disk and entering the groove for locking the disk in the housing, a second lug fixed on the disk, and apertured flanges on the lugs so disposed that a seal may be passed through the apertures in the flanges for sealing the pivoted lug in looking position. 7

3. A pipe closure including a housing having an annular groove, a disk disposed in the housing and having an aperture, a measuring rod slidable in the aperture, an extension on the disk entering the groove, a lugpivoted. on the disk and entering the groove for locking the disk in the housin and means for securing the lug in looking position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification. 1

RONALD M. WILSON. 

